The  Free-Trader ship of  Captain Richard Alexander Jacobson.....

Interfacing....
... Interfaced.

Connecting ....
... Connection Established.

Warning: Remote comms system model capability 10 terabytes / nanosecond only. Video and audio quality reduced to compensate.
You will be charged 10cr per minute for this call.

The holoscreen changed from a semi-transparent empty frame into the image of a woman sat at a desk, inside what appeared to be a pre-fabricated plastic hut. She was dressed plainly in a light grey jumpsuit, her coppery-blonde hair tied back into a pony tail. Despite being in her early fifties her skin was smooth and glowing. Her eyes had a youthful life to them that enhanced her beauty and lowered her apparent age by at least ten years. She smiled out of the screen.

"Hi mom. Just a quick call to wish you a happy birthday. How's life out on the edge?"

"Richie! Great to hear from you. You should be here, its amazing! You know the sky has these electromagnetic storms that rage across it every three days? A deep mixture of blues and purples dance across the atmosphere in a flood of colour. Its beautiful. So how's Rose? Is she still seeing that nice polish girl, what's her name again?"

"Asia? Mom, that was two years ago! You know what Rose is like when it comes to relationships. Can't hold one down for more than a few months."

A strange ten legged spider like creature with orange furry skin suddenly strolled into view. It's head had a series of tentacle-like feelers where a mouth should be and a group of large eyes on slender stalks seemed to galance in all directions at once. It slid along the desk, up the woman's arm and ended up on her left shoulder where it began to beat its mouth-feelers gently against her neck. She giggled like a schoolgirl.

"What.. is.. that?"

"We call them ticklers", the woman giggled,  "they live in the great purple and black trees to the north of the camp. Aren't they adorable?"

"Uh. Adorable, yeah!", Richard replied, a mixture of confusion and revulsion on his face.

"You know, son, you should come on of these expeditions. Its amazing how much life there is out here. There's something really serene and peaceful about a planet that hasn't yet been touched by an advanced civilization and all of its problems. No beaurcracy. No politics. no..."

"War." Richard finished the sentance for her. "Mom, we may not have always seen eye to eye, but I miss him too." He saw the pain cross her face and half wished he'd hadn't even mentioned his father. He sighed inwardly.

"Anyway, Richie. Gotta go. There's a species of bird out here with a fourty foot wingspan. Charlie spotted it on day two and we think we've found out where its nesting. We're heading up there in a few minutes. Take care. I love you son."

"I love you too." He cut the transmission.

It was always the same. A brief conversation once every few months that got cut short at the mention of his father's death in the line of service. Richard had been a disspointment to the old man ever since he dropped out of flight academy at nineteen. Despite this he had loved his father in every aspect except for one. The old man's devotion to duty that made him put his career before his family and had ultimately clamied his life.

"The transfer of construction materials and  working equipment to the very greatful farmers of this dear little planet is complete. They have shown their gratitude by bestowing us with credits and transferred the second set of cargo for transport to Tortuga as soon as we are ready."

The voice echoed through the bridge comm system at a level that although comfortably audable was so smooth and musical that it felt like it was being softly sung rather than spoken. The owner was O'dell, a Sanri and navigator aboard Richard's ship who was overseeing the cargo transfer. The ships "Security" officer, Ssaluman, had stayed on board during shore leave and was now fine tuning the weaponary of the "Obsidian Rose" for the tenth time since making the system jump. The had decided not to let 'Sally' take shore leave partly because he sometimes had what could only be described as 'anger management' issues but mainly because having a Largran on board your ship as a crewmember did tend to make the locals nervous. Which left only one more crew member unaccounted for.

"Any sign of Rose yet?"

"Our beautiful and highly intelligent cyber space expert is most likely enjoying the exotic charms of some suitably minded young farmer's daughter. I don't know how she manages to bed so many like minded partners when she lacks the usual paraphenalia of mating ritual phrases that you humans are so fond of employing."

"I don't creep around them. I don't promise them what I can't deliver, only what I can. I'm honest about what I want from them. And I have good 'gaydar'."

The third voice, softer and more musical than the first if a little less flowery than the Sanri's, had a hint of mock anger in it.

"Rose! Ah such an apt name for such a beautiful creature. Have you ever considered what it would be like to forgo the charms of a warm-bodied female and instead try the protective strength within these four masculine arms?"

"Hey! hands off O'dell! I saw her first!"

"Keep dreaming boys! Keep your hormones to yourself. The only way you're getting any piece of this cherry if if you go for major gender reassignment. Got it?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

Richard did a quick systems check before initiating launch procedures.

"O.K. Since we're all here. O'dell - get your ass down here. We're already three hours behind schedule. Next stop - Tortuga."

--> Tortuga
This message was last edited by the player at 16:42, Mon 16 July 2012.

  The ship moved throught eh BAlck..Alba   was just a tad short of 2 days away. The Vids carried the "peacetalks" between the demons and the Angels ...and ..earth..but none were surprised at the out come...what surpised  most folks, was Earth stepping out from behind the Angel's  aprons.

  Earth...had  all but  delacred total war against a race, that was already fighting a total war!...the demons  punched us in the face, and were surpised to get a kick in the grion back!

Shra Had made a lot of commotion after the ship left its port, though nothing aggressive since, when she was checked on, she was nearly nestled into a large nest of cushions and torn bits of foam and what ever else she could find as support beams for her bedding. She made herself comfortable as she laid down but never took her eyes off the door, watching it closely like a hawk waiting for the right prey to dive down on.

Richard, Rose and O'dell had been watching the vids with interest. Sally was instead watching the door to Shra's aviary.

"Why am I not surprised that this is going nowhere.", Richard commented as the debate raged on.

When the demon made his final speech, Richard Shrugged. "Well at least he's being honest. Strange how throughout our popular culture we had the notion of an alien opening line as 'we come in peace' and yet here we are watching an alien tell us he's gonna round us all up and dine on us with a nice Chianti."

He followed it up with a Hannibal Lecter impression. Rose Laughed. O'dell didn't get the joke.

When the talks were over Rose flipped off the feed. "Well thats a wasted hour of our lives we're not gonna get back. I'm going to check on our guest."

She walked off the bridge.

....


The door to the Aviary opened and rose entered, smiling. Sally stayed a respectable distance behind her, alert and ready to strike if need be.

"Good morning, Shra. I hope your stay here so far has been comfortable", she began.

Shra lifted her head from a light sleep then lowered it in respect. "Good...Shra had good rest, but think the lizard look tastie." She jested licking her beak. She glanced around to look at Sally then looked back to Rose. "Can Shra come visit ladies ship now?"

Sally stared menacingly back at Shra, but unlike last time he took no action. It was uncertain if Sally restrained himself because of his telling off the previous night or because of Rose's presence.

Rose shrugged in response to Shra's joke. "That's one way to describe him, I suppose. I can think of several others but it would be rude to repeat them in front of a guest."

In resonse to her question Rose nodded.

"Where would you like to start? Bridge?, Engineering? Mess hall?"

  while  the ship cruises towards Alba. The warning light  come on, just about  an hour  out past, the "no attack" zone of Tortuga.

  Vectoring in on the Rose are two small Demon sloops. Lightly armed  and armored, but fast..used for hit and run missions  or to carry dispatches  and  passengers  quickly...at this point in time they would intercept the Rose 10 hours before they reach Alba.............

Shra seemed to be smiling as she rolled out of her made nest to the standing position. "Shra wants to see Bridge first." She made her way over to rose and raises her wrists to the woman for the cuffs. "Shra does not think she needs chains, but Shra understands what is needed to be done."

Rose shook her head. "No cuffs. This ship requires a minimum of 2 to fly it and I doubt you're up to walking home.

"Rose. We've got company. 2 Demon ships and it looks like they brought the Chianti with them."

Rose frowned as the announcement came over the intercom.

"Well it looks like the guided tour will have to wait.

She hurried out with Sally following close behind.

...

"Weaponsss online."

"Shields online."

"O'dell, see if you can find a freqency that the Demons can't jam. Send out an SOS to any ships that might be in range."

Richard was already performing evasive manouvers, putting the ship on an erratic path toward the enemy vessels.

"Mayday. Mayday. This is the Obsidian Rose en route to Alba. We are under attack by Demon vessels. Any assistance provided would be greatly appreciated. Transmitting our current co-ordinates"

"Ah help from a pretty sounding heroine." Even in a tense situation O'dell brought his libido along for the ride.

"Two lightly armed sloops closing fast. We are a lightly armed merchant vessel. We can match them in firepower but we can't outrun them. They are more heavily shielded than us."

Richard took over where O'dell left off.

"Thank you for your assistance, Hermes. Plotting a new vector now. Be advised we have an Avian prisoner on board and so may need a security detail when this is over. Especially if confinement is breached."

Richard changed course.

"Rose. Divert power to port shields. Sally, You have the main turret. Try to disable their weapons and engines in that order. Don't fire until you know that you can make every shot count.

  The sloops were Closing, The Ob Rose  had the becons insight  both sloops  forward ghuns fired  , aiming for the becon side of the Ob Rose..they were trying to shepard the ship away from Tortuga  space.

The reinforced shielding barely held as the assault continued. The ship shook with the impact and Richard struggled to keep the course toward Fuji. The Rose returned fire, attempting to take out the weapons of the lead ship. There was a second when the under section of the ship was exposed to the enemy and a stray shot hit this less shielded section.

A hole tore through the cargo bay.

"Cargo bay breach. Foamers activated."

The mechanical voice of the ships computer made Richard start.

"Ah nuts. O'dell. Get down to the cargo bay and see if our guest still has all her feathers."

...

The rear side of the cargo bay buckled and cracked. A two inch hole appeared in the bulkhead and air rushed out. The hull began to produce a chemical foam designed to harden and patch the hole. Normally this would keep the cargo bay and its occupants safe, but there was a further complication.

The section of damaged bulkhead contained a power node that kept the magnetic seals on the  inner cargo bay doors secure. In addition a small amout of plasma fire superheated the control computer for the cargo bay itself causing a malfunction.

"Power to internal door mechanism offline. Magnetic locks released. WARNING: Cargo bay doors opening. Evacuation of cargo bay advised."

Shra could feel the excitement from her room. She knew something was out there, just what, she didn't know. Until the demons hit the ship. She quickly held her breath as the hull opened up then sealed itself. For the moment she felt safe again, until the automated malfunction voice came over the coms. Just as the cargo bay doors opened so did her room door. she could feel the pressure of the room drop and the air being sucked out again. Shra took another deep breath and moved for the door. Hopefully she could get into the main part of the ship before everything, including her got sucked out.

   The Gutterial voice  cut through the Coms. The Demons had no way of knowing the  Coms  are linked the whole way through and recorded....YOu will stand  down...You will stop and  Be boarded..if you cross into Tortuga Space, we will destroy you.....

  Before  he could say anything else..the  First sloop was starfed by Justin  and His his flight...

  ..Hello there  Ob Rose! Please stay to the Starboard  side  and head to those Big olde ESN warships that are  just a few minutes behind us......As  each Flight  came through, they strafed the sloops, Odd flights  peeled off to the starboard...even flights  peeled off to the Port....

  Suddenly...another Voice  came on the Coms,..This is Captain Morish...of the Demon Empire Shiip Rava. All ESN ship  will leave this sector.....

 Coming into View  was a Demon Battleship..Twice the size of  any Demon ship they have fought thus far....already...small dots were appearing  from the  "scoop" from under the craft...her  fighters Have Launched....

"Woohoo!! Here comes the cavalry, Richard yelled.

"Roger that. Staying starboard. We have taken minimal damage but have a hull breech in our cargo bay."

Rose was running diagnostics on the cargo bay whilst Richard responded. She suddenly started.

"ESN Pilots. Please be advised we have a cargo bay malfunction and a loss of containment of an Avian prisoner. Will attempt to rectify the situation."


After making the broadcast she glanced at Richard before leaving her seat.

"Be careful", he mouthed as he watched her leave the bridge.

***

Shra made it to the cargo bay doors in time and got through them just before the emergency backup systems kicked in and sealed the cargo bay again. As soon as she was safe she heard footsteps heading down the lower corridor of the ship.

    Alright  Captain Jacobson..stay to the Herme's  stardbaord...Your Port... Look for the  flashing red light and try to dock there...our damage conrol people will meet your there...if you need help with your prisoner....contact the security folks who wil be there as well...
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:59, Wed 01 Aug 2012.

Instead of running from the footsteps she made her way towards them. she was still fighting herself for breath when she ran into Rose, giving her a happy looking grin. "Shra see ladies ship now?" She mused only to stop and lean on the wall to catch her breath. "Shra Sorry, Room stopped being good enough for Shra." She said shaking her head.

Rose started when she saw Shra coming towards her. She immediately adopted her best defensive stance and was about to throw the bird when she spoke.

Rose stared at Shra for a few seconds, dumbfounded by the bird's apparent lack of worry over their predicament and then suddenly burst out laughing.

***

The Hermes pilots had just finished taking out the last of the demon sloops when the message came over from the Hermes itself.

"Roger that, Hermes", Richard replied. "Initiating docking procedures. And thanks for helping us out there."

He brought the Rose as close as possible to the docking bay lights, matching the speed of the Hermes. Then he punched the speed up a notch. The ship made an almost graceful landing on the docking bay. It bounced a few times but finally settled to a stop.

  When the    Connetion was made the   inside doors opened up..a small staic  field to make certain there was no leakes..a Corpral of the  security team stepped aboard thge Ob Rose and saluted   Jacobson,..Perrmission to come aboar, Sir..Once your people  are  on the  Hermes..we will bring the repair team on...we'll need someone to show us where you need the work done...if your Pirsoner is handy..I have men to watchover  him..her.. just outside the door?

Richard nodded. "O'dell, Rose, what's the status of our guest?"

***

O'dell entered the corridor connecting the cargo bay just as Rose burst into laughter at Shra's question.

"How did you get here before me?"

Richard's message came over the intercom. Rose Answered. "Shra's fine. She's been patiently waiting for me to give her a tour of the ship."

"O.K. Well we are now aboard the Hermes and we have a security detail ready to take her off our hands."

Rose frowned at the notion. She wasn't a great fan of military types and she was beginning to like Shra. She hoped the avian would be treated humanely.

"On our way."

Shra seen the reaction on Rose's face from the call and gave herself a frown. "Do not worry for shra. Shra is a strong hawk-face, she won't let other humans hurt her." She said in an attempted to reassure the woman. she pulled herself from the wall and held out her arms again for the chains. "Shra will need them, or monkeys from other ship will chain her for you."

Rose was beginning to wonder just why Shra was a prisoner. For an avian she showed a great deal of fairness and reasoning. Perhaps it was fate that had brought them to the Hermes. Perhaps it was far better to hand Shra over to the ESN than to whoever was waiting for her on Alba.

She put the restraints back on Shra, making them as comfortable as possible.

***

A few minutes later and the four privateers led Shra to the ramp and handed her over to the security detail.

"Thanks for saving our asses out there, Richard began. "My name is Richard Alexander stone. I'm Captain of the Obsidian Rose. This is my Engineer, Rose, my Navigator O'Dell, and my tactical officer Ssaluman. Sally for short. I'd be thankful if you'd help us make some repairs and refuel. I'd also like to meet the flyboys that pulled our asses out of the frying pan."

Shra went docile after the shackles were put on her again, not making a sound as she was lead to the port dock that clung to either ship. truth be told she looked more frightened near the newer humans then she did when she was put on the Rose.

  The Corpral nodded  his greeting...his  eyes looked at both the Lizard and the Bird,..going to be a while until the  fighterrs  come in...they have some cleaning up..you can watch on the Vids...they are  all over the place....That Largran? I'll have to warn you...not too many folks  in the fleet are happy with them, and the Bird...well..ain;t going to be making alot of friends  as well...

Shra looked up briefly before stepping towards the Corporal. How she was treated from her on would help her decide on how to react while she was aboard the Hermes.

  The  Guards stood   near the  Avian. It was  clear they  had no loved ofr the creature. The Corpral pointed to a chair,..sit..until we are told  what to do with you.

  the  other  two guards watched the  Largran with even less happiness.

Henry arrived, having been informed that a live Avian was incoming.

 The Corpral sees Henry, He Points to Shra,..seems  this  creature is  some of the cargo  the Civie  was transporting....If you want to quetion it...you'll have to do it here, Unless thier Captain allows you to  take it to your lab...if that happens, we'll have to come with yhou, Doctor.

"Thank you, Corporal."

Henry moved towards the Avian, noting details of plumage curiously.

"Hello, there. My name is Henry. I'm a xenobiologist, interested in creatures from across the galaxy... What's your name and how did you come to be here?"

Shra moved over to the chair but not before giving the male human a sneer and a low hiss. As she sat and waited with her head down, she barely looked up to look at Henry. She only looked over to the Rose crew with a slow sigh.

Henry moved closer to the Avian.

"Hello. What's your name? Are you hurt? Don't be scared, I won't harm you..." he said gently.

Rose watched the conversation between the scientist and the Avian with interest. She turned to the others.

"Why don't you guys get some R&R. I think I'll stay here for a while and look after our guest."

It wasn't just that she didn't trust the Scientist. She sort of felt she owed it to Shra to ensure that she was being treated properly. After all the Avian had behaved like the model prisoner on board the rose.

She hoped Christie would be the same kind of Xenobiologist as Slenea (Richard's mother) was  - in that he would see Shra as a living creature with its own needs and feelings and not just another guinea pig for experimentation.

Without really introducing herself she walked behind the man and peered over his shoulder, a serious expression on her face as she watched what she was doing.

Also posting (sort-of) for Salluman and O'dell

Richard shrugged when Rose suggested they get some R&R. He turned to the officer in charge.

"Don't worry about the Lizard. We'll keep him under a short leash."

Sally hissed his distaste at the statement but remained obedient.

"Could you perhaps direct us to the rec room or mess hall? Somewhere we can wait before the pilots return?"

Shra looked up to Rose then to Henry. "Sh-Shra is not worried if old human hurt her. Shra worried more if she hurt old human." She gave a slight grin to Henry before looking back up to Rose.

  The Corpral points down the hall,   Rec Dec is down that way, one of  my men will lead you down there...it will be easy enough to find your  way back..there is food  and drink there..Vid screens all over the place..good place to relax..

"You are... 'Shra'? Do not fret, you will not hurt me, unless you want to peck... then I'll run away," Henry chuckled.

"So, how did you come to be here? Do you need anything? Food, water..?"

"Thank you", replied Richard. The three of them left Rose and Shra to the attentions of the good doctor Christie.

---> To Rec Dec

Shra looked the human over carefully. "Come here on ladies ship. Shra knows where she goes to, but can't say to you." She then looked at him intensely. "You have something alive that Shra can eat?"

Rose responded to Shra's question by addressing Christie.

"We have some livestock on board. I could bring up a few goats if you like."

It was her attempt at being helpful.

"Our custom is to eat dead food. But I shall see if I can find you something..." said Henry. Heck, the animal rights folk would be up in arms if they found out!

"If you do not want to say where you are going, can you tell me where you came from?"

He thought a bit.

"For that matter, if you don't say where you are going, how can I help you get there?"

Shra tilted her head at the doctor. "Shra goes with lady on her ship. Shra came from bigger ship with humans on it, only a few days ago.." She looked up to Rose and gave her a nod for the goat. She never really took a liking to the humans animals, but she was hungry and what she would normally eat would shoot her if she tried. She looked back to the doctor to respond to his dead animal statement. "Shra doesn't eat dead things, she isn't a Vulture-head."

"Thank you, Ma'am," Henry said to Rose. "It appears that Shra might be able to eat that..." Henry looked relieved that someone else could attend to the matter. He wasn't squeamish, but...

"Are you the 'lady' to whom Shra refers? I'm Professor Henry Christie, a xenobiologist working with the ESN. Maybe you can fill me in a bit...?"

Rose smiled at Henry before dissapearing into the ship to get a pair of goats.

"Shra will go meet one like you on demon planet. Shra has message for him from his female hatchling." Shra spoke up. Apparently the promise of food loosened her tongue a bit. She looked down a bit sad. "Shra won't leave there either."

"Ah..." mused Henry. "So there is a Demon with the Avians... Is this the Demon homeworld you wish to visit? What manner of commerce do you have? Are you sharing information about your different species? For this is what I do as well. I have spoken with a Demon - a Wisp - and with another Avian as well as you. It is good that different species get to know each other. Maybe one day we can co-exist without brawling, if we understand and accommodate each other's needs."

shra's expression goes completely blank as she lowers her head, then she looks up to Henry as if a hungry hawk had just found dinner. "Shra goes to the planet to die." She looks around cautiously, noting the guards before sitting back. "But shra might die here first."

"Not on my watch you won't"

Rose's angry face honed into view. She was leading two live goats on ropes.

"You might not want to watch this, professor", she said to Christie.

"You do realise that if even one feather of this lady is harmed I'm going to go all bujutsu on your ass."

"You need not fear, on either count. Whilst I am not accustomed to watching sentient beings eat live food, it is common with animals. And I certainly have no intention to harm a single feather of this young lady's plumage.

He watched as the goats were handed over to Shra.

"Whilst she is eating, perhaps you could share how you encountered each other."
This message was last edited by the player at 09:34, Sat 11 Aug 2012.

Rose shrugged. "We were hired by this rather unpleasant little Occui to transport her to Alba. We were supposed to exchange her for another person when we got there. We never got there."

"Occui? I am not familiar with that name... Did she travel at her own volition?" asked Henry.

The first thought in her mind as soon as the goats appeared was that she wished she could dine alone. But the smell of flesh and fur hit her nostrils, causing her to got into a trembling frenzy. She looked to the two at first with a slight wine before jumping from her seat and tackling the goat, string and all from Rose. She stopped in the corner crouched, letting anyone watching to only see her struggling with the bleating animal, then the sound of the neck being broken with the splatter of blood crossing the wall. Her head would bob as she ate the beast and her arms moved as she gained a new grip on her meal. One would say she looked like a primitive man in a cave corner.

Henry watched Shra eating her goat with evident enjoyment as he contined to converse with Rose. He'd been raised that you left people in peace when they were eating, and given the way Shra was absorbed in her meal, he reckoned she'd appreciate the same courtesy.

"You see Occui near the fringe mostly", replied Rose as she attempted not to watch Shra eat, for the sake of her own stomach contents. "Green skinned aliens. Often quite short. They love money."<red>

In answer to Christie's second question, Rose said <red>"Shra was a prisoner we were supposed to transport to Alba in exchange for another prisoner. We also had some cargo to transport as well. I've got no idea what the contents were."

"Who doesn't?" smiled Henry. "Who had captured Shra? These Occi? And did you have any details of who she was to be exchanged for?"

 One of the guards  shifted a bit, he said aloud to his  partner,..from the Vids? those things were doing that to humans....

"I guess so. I have no idea who she was being exchanged for. The little green man wasn't exactly free with his information."

Rose didn't react to what the guard had said but her body tensed ever so slightly as she prepared herself for any potential trouble.

Henry glanced over to see how Shra was doing with her meal.

"Well, she won't have to go there unless she wishes it, as far as I am concerned. But there is the matter of her safety. Humans have their fair share of bigots too. If she is willing I would like to talk with her further. We know so little of her people."

"Shra hast to go." she said as she finished swallowing the last bit of goat. "Shra has to tell Shara's scientist, she is safe and going home." She looked at the two. "Shra might die there, but she hopes to get the message to him so he can stop being a scientist for demons."

"Perhaps we can pass a message, so that you need not go in person if it's not safe for you. Would that be acceptable to you?" asked Henry.

"Tell me, who is Shara and who is the scientist who can go home now?"

  The Guard leaned forward as he said to Rose,..Ma'am?  The Hermes is underway, Your ship has been locked on, as we effect repairs...you won't be going  anywhere for a while...

Shra only shook her head to Henry's suggestion. "Shara, is Shra's human child. The Scientist is the one who grew Shara. Shra must tell him in flesh, he can not get Massage from you because he does not have means." She said in a cold tone. She slowly stood and eyed the second goat but decided that she wasn't as hungry as she had thought. "Shra want's to look at old humans ship."

Henry looks surprised.

"Shra, you have crossbred with a human? Or is it that you more adopted someone? Yes, you may come and visit my ship, although you may not be permitted to see all of it. Do you want to bring your goat for later?"

Rose nodded as the guard spoke.

"Thank you for the info", she replied.

  The Bridge of the  Ob Rose got a message "....contact  Hermes Bridge at your conveniance.."

Rose received the paging message from the bridge. She shrugged and walked off to the bridge, leaving Shra in the hands of the Guard and the Xenobiologist.

She patched in a comms to the bridge of the Hermes.

"This is Rose, responding to your request. What's up?"

  Beth came on,..one  moment....

  Admiral HAck  came on,..we need your ship to Proceed to the  Next Planet...a sister to Alba. We  will be invading there   within two days of the end of the invasion of  Alba....The Planet  another  small earthtype that is much like a sister planet to Alba..is called Bura..and  is another  Pirate  stronghold...with largrans  on Alba, we have to assume there are  enemies  there  as well.....We  need you to go there, as  if you escaped Tortuga, and get intel for us....we  will send you a signal when we are headed your  way, and you can lift off and feed us that intel...

  The  Rose  and her Crew departed...hopefully, for Bura...but that would that would  remain to be seen.

Do I (and Shra if she wants to come along) have time to get off first?

  (( yes...Henry and Shra are on the Hermes....depending on what happens  with the player...Shra will be here one way or the other.))

Okey-dokey...

 THis is  the thread  for the Mec Ship now.

    The scarecrow  trying to slip pass the  patrols of Hillites, and Nivarians and Hyrians, as  well as ESN, Sanri and Occui... was  making pretty good time.

 Hoping the   fuss with the   Hillites attacking  APF flagged merchants..

 All was well until...

 ..Attentio9n, Ship  with designation...SS Scraecrow.... I an Ensign  Franks of the  ESN AOO9 TEAK... Our Vessel  will escort you to the ESN Hermes, where as your CAptain  will make himself  ready to transfer aboard to speak with the Fleet Commander.To attempt to flee, or otherwise fail to follow  these instructions..you will be   flagged  as  an enemy and fired  upon, and boarded...if..for some reason..you COMs  are out of order..then..may your gods  have  mercy on you.....

 The HAmmer Va stood  off  a bit waiting to hear  and answer.  The ESN  Sloop was closing in.

Aboard the SS Scarecrow Captain Thomas Spartan rubbed his eyes, trying to get the sleep out of his system. He sat upright in his pilot chair and looked outside the window. The Hammer fighter was a little behind him, clearly in view. About the same time he noticed it his tailgunners voice cracked over the comm. "We have company Cap."

Spartan sighed.
"Yes Zeon, I noticed. As a matter of fact, they already hailed us too... Now shush."

He opened a direct communications link to the Hammer fighter.
"Ensign Franks, this is captain Thomas Spartan of the SS Scarecrow. It so happens we were looking for you boys. I take it the Hermes is with the rest of the ESN fleet? If so, we would like to be taken there so we can get our legs stretched and some actual food in our guts. So I suggest you lead the way, and we will follow you as requested.
Perhaps you could radio ahead and inquire about a place to land this crate. I take it Hermes has ample room to accomodate this small freighter? I hope to hear from you soon."

Spartan flicked a few controls and immediately the engines of the 45 year old trade vessel reduced their power. Switching to manual controls Captain Thomas Spartan followed the fighter in.

"Captain, you want me to track him?" The voice of his front gunner this time.
"Nope," Spartan answered. " They are friendlies. Just stay in your turrets both of you untill we are properly inside their protective radius. Then you can go and get properly dressed for a bit of a walkabout. Not you though Zeon. You are staying with the Crow."
Spartan sat back, waiting for word of either Teak or hermes.

   The Ensign chuckled,..no sir, CAptain Spartan?.. The Caps  ship donw have room for  friegthers...   You can Pull  along   side, a shuttle  will take you the  the Hermes.... Follow  me... I'm sure you won't  Miss it, once we get in sight.

 The   Hammer  flew Out in front of the Frighters, while the sloop  dropped  low  and Behind the  Scare Crow

Following the hammer closely Spartan wondered exactly how small the hangar bays of the Hermes were. Falling in next to the capital ship wasn't all that bad either, but the minor repairs Scarecrow needed would have to wait untill they found a decent place to touch down.
Soon Hermes came into view, and Thomas carefully placed the 'Crow in a holding pattern.
"ESN Hermes, this is Scarecrow. I thank you for the escort to safety and await a shuttle to come and pick up 2 persons. Scarecrow out."

  as they Closed on the Fleet, they   over a Score of ships, most of them Cao ships... 3 Med Tech  ships , huge , by themselves, were  flying in the Middle of the pack.

 A large  ship Loomed before then.... it was until they saw the Number  and name  SANDSTONE..they  they realized it was a destroyer...dwarfing the  Teak and scarecrow as they flew by.

  The Lights of the  Hermes' 3  bay doors Light up the side of the  whip The  insignia of the Wing foot   hightlighted  by spotlights.

 ...This  is LT Stolyarev of the ESN Hermes... Please  turn   you ship  about  so in nestles  between the Hemres ans the Sandstone....  and tell me where you what the board   tunnel docked?

As Spartan manouvred Scarecrow snugly between the capital ships he looked around for the shuttle. Soon he saw it approach.
"Lt. Stolyarev, this is Cpt. Thomas Spartan. Thank you for your taxi effort. Feel free to attach the funnel to the upper airlock behind our cockpit. It is mansized and should fit snugly. We have two coming aboard, me and my first mate. Our radar technician will remain behind to oversee any eventualities on board the old Crow."
He flipped a few more switches and the engines died out to a slow humming. Spartan spoke into his collar comm.
"Zeon, you have the Crow. Anyone comes aboard without permission... waste em..."
"Aye Cap'n."
Thomas Spartan and his first mate then waited for the shuttle to hook up.

 It took about 10 minutes to Bring the assault shuttle  along  side and  extend the  tunnel.  they were roughtly 2 miles  from each ship.

 when they got aboard they noticed the Bubble guns were  manned, but only of Hermes SEC trooper was on board

  Cpl Shumaker, Hermes SEC Once  we get  you to the Hermes you'll have to wait on the Hanger Dec  , until the Admiral comes down...seems he wants to talk to you himself.

 once they settled  in the  hatch sealed and  the  tunneled  retracted, Stoly  winged away  and  aiming  for the sternmost Hanger Bay doors.

(Rodney Pullens, Zeon Xondoloo)

Rodney and Zeon prep the Crow for combat, Pullens running all the systems checks and Zeon, despite orders to sity down and relax, loads up the tubes with scatter missiles. When he is done with that he drags the crate of sidearms to the back of the hold and sits down, checking each rifle and pistol thoroughly.
Pullens meanwhile comms Hermes Bridge, requesting the latest uploads on the asteroid belt. He then sets an open comm line to the Morning Star.

     "Good to go sir."  Joseph comes on board and stows his bag and starts looking the ship over getting a feel for the layout.  "You DID make some improvements." He checks what's available in the hold.  "If yer gonna be pickin up ESN troopers who are in trouble, ya might want a spare medic kit or two available."

(Zeon Xondoloo)

The hold is big enough for four shipping containers, or could hold at least two dozen people seated along the walls. One compartment further were the living quarters for a maximum of 6 crew, with galley and seating area. A doorway led to some steps, up to the cockpit, or straight on to a bubble turret nose. Steps in the hold lead to the tail, with the engine room and tail bubble. The hold used to be bigger, but the side walls had been upgraded to contain four launcher tubes at each side. In the back of the hold, seated on a crate of pistols, was a large black man, with several tattoos along his chest, cleaning rifles.
"Captain is still on the hermes waiting for someone. So you the new loadmaster. The merc? We gotz some medkits in the wall locker. So we gonna be medevac?"

 Monnes and Billings Nod to  Spartan though they  don't seem  much more at ease.

 When the  get on board, Monnes wins  a credit  toss  and Take  the  Bubble gun in the Nose. Billings  sighs  and  heads  for the tail gun. Both settle in and start  checking the  movement arcs  and   elevations  as well as the power  supply.

Spartan walks in and approaches Joseph.
"Crow has a rear ramp, it will elevate down a maximum of 45 degrees. In a hurry, i can have her hover up to two meters above ground and the ramp will still hit floor. Anyone entering will have to climb, but it makes for a quick getaway. Controls are both left and right of the ramp door." Spartan points at the panels.
"That there is Zeon Xondoloo, new-ghanese ex convict. Up top is Rodney Pullens, my first mate and trustee. He is a bit special, but a miracleworker at what he does. You'll see him later. I think you know those soldiers? Or they at least seem to know you." Thomas Spartan grins.

He clambers up the steps to the cockpit and takes his seat at the center. With pullens to his left it leaves the chair to the right.
"Untill needed downstairs this here is the best seat left in the house Mac, feel free to join me!" he calls down.

"Hermes Control, SS Scarecrow T-666 ready to release board chute."

  Rivets' voice comes on the COMs,..release in....3....2...1...... Goodluck ta ye....

 the  Tunnel retracts as the magna locks let loose...

"Roger that Hermes Control. T-666 taking up a holding position."
Spartan switches the comm to the Morning Star.
"Nilsson, you with me captain?"

    "Thank ya kindly,"  Joseph takes a seat at the station offered and looks around at it.  "Ya wouldn't happen ta have the ability to install UBS jacks and a breaker directly into yer communications and radar antennae would ya?"

"I wish. This baby is forty-five years old."
Typing in some data Spartan looked up. "I'm glad she holds discs."

  Watching the screens and Hearing the chatter. he nods   his  head slowly.

  Things are....not right.... Set up the  Orange alert......I rather have the Civies  safe , then wait..

 beth hits the orange alert for the Civies, and Prep begins...again... for the  tireless Civies   who seem to do this half of their daily lives.

"Come again Hermes control?"

  Hack didn't take his eyes off the   screens but his head was shaking a bit   now and again,.. at ease   CApt Sparatn, but be ready to go.......


 ..Karl? where ever  we send you? Make certain that you  shoot up anything vehicles  on the ground that aren't ours.... they might  try and hole up , if  we  pull our people back? But they won't be going anywhere.

"Roger that, holding pattern," Spartan comms back.

"Copy that, Admiral.  Maximum property damage on anything that isn't us."  His voice had the forced nonchalance of a man who was ready for action and forcing himself to stay relaxed.

Clicking off his comms for a moment, he said, "Ed, better slot HE for the howitzer, initially, sounds like we're most likely to be sent after surface contacts and we may need that first punch to be a big one."  He figured there was little sense in boring people with the details of his interaction with the plane's AI.

He reopened comms, waiting for a 'go' and a destination from the Hermes...

  <<<<<<<<<<  from hanger Dec

  a team of 4   techs   Came out of the   Entrance  way, the  ground  crew uses to  secure and maintain VIP shuttles  and such.

   There was a Taller  woman in a sleek atmo suit.  PO1  Cummings, Sir.... This is My team, we are  Spec Techs   for repair  out here... where do you want us?

"Captain Thomas Spartan. Owner of this barrel of junk. I have yet to assess the damages but I fear my entire long range comm array will need replacing, an most likely both exhaust rings on engines two and three. I dont even wanna know about the rear plating though... Thats most likely all ruined." Spartan sees the look on Cummings face. "Dont ask. Lets just say I parked where i shouldn't have."

  Cummings   looks at the ship as  Spartan speaks.we'll start with the Plating to get the Hull secure..we'll work back to the  engines, once  we reach them we'll see  what we need to do first the  Engines from out here... or ....if we can work  on them inside... we'll continue with the Aft plating.

"The engines themselves are fine. Its the outside burner rings that are a mess. Plating, array, all outside work. Inside is just the shutter system of the number one launch tube, but I can fix that myself."

    Right then.... well start having Plating   brought  up, and work our  way back, CAptain says   he may send up the 2nd string too, once they get the fighters  squared away..

 The other  were already Locking  down the cutting  torch  , in case they had to 'cut to fit' plates.

  the last Member of the Group  had his  Cutting torch and was trimming off the  ragged  edges or  plating.

==========>  Flight deck
  "wielding I can do with the best of them."  Garrat says following him in.  "Just show me the gear and what you need done."

Dragging gear towards the modified launch tubes at the sides of the cargo bay of the heavily modified old freighter Spartan looks at the man.
"whats your name kid? I like knowing who I work with. I'm Captain Thomas Spartan, the owner of this here vessel, and the one paying for the shit state its in." He points to a launch tube at the right, which seems to have exploded from the inside out, requiring an entirely new shutter system.
"Its all modified, so everything has to be cut to size and made by hand. Ask techy Cummings if she has the gear for that. She's likely outside with the other techs, repairing the structure. Dont forget a 0-G suit tho."

Spartan sets up a small workbench, and starts to take apart the number one tube.

  Cummings   is   called when a Plate is ready. She moves  with the others  setting  Up Grips and Pulleys to lever the  plate into postion. The  Lead welder    Tacks the Plate  Up, and  crew make certain the  plate is  solid. The Lead welder and the  #2 Welder  then  start at opposite sides , welding the plate into postion.

   "I'm called Garrat."  Garrat says following Thomas to the access ladder to where the Scare crow is docked.  He stopped looking at it.  "By the beards of Thor's goats.  There's no way I can climb that ladder after that gut wound from the last mission.  It looks like I'm going to have to take my workout out on the multi track.  Sorry Sparten...by the way, do you usually call people who are centuries older than you "kid"
This message was last edited by the player at 14:11, Mon 02 May 2016.

"I do if they are younger than me. Centuries huh? You an alien?"

   "Believe it or not, I'm both 100% human, and an extraterrestrial.  I'm just altered to have a bunch of genetic diseases that have up sides to them."  Garrat sighs looking up the latter  "unfortunately bounce back isn't one of them, but angel food is gonna make for some really old humans here pretty quick if they don't get themselves killed first."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:13, Mon 02 May 2016.

"Well, you cant help, so I'll be on my way at work." Spartan turns and gets to it.

   "Yeah, sorry about that.  I'll have to jump in latter when I'm better."

   It shows that Garrat is embarrassed but he doesn't really have a choice.  He could go back to the rec deck but doesn't really feel like partying.

   He picks up his data pad and heads to the observation deck to puzzle through some more designs.====> observation deck.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:42, Mon 02 May 2016.

Having fixed the tube after a couple hours of hard work Spartan decides its time for some quick food.

---->>> Rec deck.

  With the Second  Crew arriving outside, the  Repair to plates has taken  a faster  turn.

 Cummings   is shaping the plates herself , as the rest of the two  teams   haul the plates up and  Weld them into plate, carting off the damaged plates for the Foundry to  use for scrap.

 Since they were docked,  Everest Dock workers  were assigned to Help Cummings    repair the Scarecrow.

 although  they seemed to work well together. The Everest folks did seem a little insulted, by Cummings  rejecting    plates that did not conform to the Specs  she had measured against the  Hermes-made  plates.

 Still? She was in charge unless Spartan over ruled her, and the  patch work  was sped up as everyone wanted to get finished  so they could see the station.

Trusting Cummings completely Spartan decided to visit Everest and go and watch the game. Maybe he could even assist the coach here and there.

  Cummings  COM Buzzed, she looked at  it and said over the Headset,..alright  folks!..Game Time, we head  down to the  Rec Dec and watch it... eats are on me....You Everest folks, thank you for your help, yo may go back to your  duties ...

 ..But..Mam'zelle..we are to help finish this  ship, No?

 No, after the  game  we'll come up and put the last few plates on, if you folks can spare some Man power, then you are welcomed then..until then?... No one  near this vessel that isn't Hermes, Unless i am here...

 ..but  our  orders are...

 ..look..French Fry.. you have been great... but you see that metal under your feet?..Thats  thew Gods be Damned Hermes.... YOur  Orders don't mean too much here..now?..go hope your team doesn't get blown out in the first quarter... we'll call when we come back to work...and?....it would not be good for someone to 'hang around'... SEC doesn'[t ask questions when it comes to  protecting  the ship.

(Rodney Pullens)
Supervising the repairs in Spartans' absence Pullens recieves a message to prep another bunk for a new crew member. After doing so he goes to find Cummings to inquire about repairs. Meanwhile Zeon supervises the loading of newly acquired gear.

(Pullens to hangar deck)
This message was last edited by the player at 09:36, Sat 04 June 2016.

(Zeon Xondoloo)

After loading the new gear Zeon unpacks the new minigun. Using the unused cargo bay swing arm he then sets about welding a mount in place so the weapon can be attached and used when the bay door is opened.

  Cummings   enters the Ship, hakes off her  Head gear,, then pulls out  the Vid Board from her  Leg slot.... as far as the outside? Its  as good  as its gonna get, we used some Everest plates, but most of your  damaged hull was replaced with Hermes Fondy Steel, especially the special cuts, I won't  work with other  steel for that...  any wiring   and such, I can sent a Team of Tech in? be a whole lot then if you guys  do it yourself?..But its your ship...I'm just here to make her  fly again..

"Anything you can do is appreciated," Zeon replied between welds.

  She   hit the COM pad on the Vid Board,..Cummings here.. if you could scare up  at least one  team, if not 2 of Techs..we need the   start the wiring and such for the Scarecrow.

 Rivets  Voice  came back..I'll send ye  2 teams, if ye promise ta go on leave...

 She  frowns  and says,..alright Captain... you send me  2  teams, I'll go down for  some eats, maybe catch a vid?

  right.... 2 teams will be Up...10 minutes.....

  She   cut off the COM and said. no matter how you look at it? No matter  who advanced.. you still need  wires or  tubeways, to get  stuff from one place to another.

(Zeon Xondoloo)

"Will the wiring be done today?" Xondoloo inquires from Cummings as he finishes the minigun mount.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:23, Tue 07 June 2016.

  Cummings smiled a bit  as she laid her  helmet aside,Unless we hit a Red Alert?..it should be done  By lunchtime tomorrow, which gives  you a whole half  day on Everest, if you want shore leave....

  Arriving at the top of the ship they exit the elevator. Cummings  and her crew were taking equipment  down.

 The Scarecrow looked  good..in a way... some nice, new  plates...and some Decals  below the  Bridge showing  successful bombing runs.

   on the sides where  large numbers done in ESN style '300'

  Cumming  came over, she was tired, even though her faceplate, you could see that. She smiled at Thomas,The Numbers  are The Admiral's Idea, something about a play on your name? Anyway... with the pirate, merc and traders from both sides  flying around Pentrax and Beta space, he wanted to make sure Fleet could  tell you apart from the bad guys....

Even as they stood on the top of the Hermes, they saw a Nivarian Merchant smoke still trailing from its  hull The Argus was escorting her in.

 Blockake runner?.... maybe a slaver?....wonder why they didn't send it to fuji ?

 Behind them the  airlock Hissed and two Marines walked towards them , stopping behind   the three as they too, looked up to see the battered merchant man being 'guided' to the Customs docks.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:54, Wed 22 June 2016.

Thomas checks the cargo bay to see if everything is secured, and admires the work Zeon has done on the minigun. Meanwhile he explains to Gordan what everything is, so the kid knows whats what in his new home. Once done he does the same with the engine room, the living quarters and both forward and aft gun bubbles.
Finally, they enter the cockpit of the old freighter, the heart of the ship.

Rodney looks up from his consoles just barely long enough to introduce himself to Gordan, before phasing back into the computerised world he is so comfortable with. Zeon, his feet resting on the navigation screens, immediately sits upright.
"She's ready for launch Cap'n." he grins. When he sees young Gordan he adresses him directly. "So you must be our new deck hand. My name is Zeon, and that wizard with a blue screen is Rodney. Ever been on a ship like this before?"
Gordan shakes his head, somewhat uncertain how to react.
"No problem, we will get you up to speed in no time. Here, come sit in this chair." Zeon stands, gesturing for Gordan to sit down in his place. "As I will be in the cargo bay mostly you will have the very important task of navigating for captain Spartan. See this here screen? You tell the captain if any coloured dots show up on it." He hands Gordan a headset. Even though its a bit too big, the kid smiles from ear to ear as he puts it on.
Zeon turns to Thomas.
"We got a comm from that mercenary that went with us last flight. He will try to get here asap to assist. Any estimate on cast off time?"

Spartan drops down in the central chair, activating his consoles and running diagnostics. "You mean Mac? Would be good to have him on board, he can cover your ass with that mingun as you work the buoys. Make sure you both suit up, there will be some spacewalking to be done." He flips his comm to the gun bubbles, checking on both marines. "Gentlemen, welcome to this pleasure cruise. Glad to have you on board again. Make sure you grab a cup of coffee and some food, I have no idea when we will have time to eat again."
Flipping another switch he contacts Hermes control and MorningStar.

'Hermes, Morningstar, this is Scarecrow. You boys and girls listening in? Scarecrow will be good for launch in ten minutes.'

   Joseph shows up in his stripped for action gear.  His two pistols glisten with the polish of well cared for guns.  "Did you get your com gear up and going again?"

"All fixed and functioning. But i'd rather have you setting up the eavesdropping buoys so we can quickly attach them to the existing ones. Since we have to fix them to the old ones it will require space walks, and I will have to depressurise the cargo bay. Having an extra hand there to set up the buoys and link em up to the hermes would allow Zeon to work a lot faster in attaching them, and it would allow you to cover his ass with the new minigun while he does it. I figure that would save us at least ten minutes a buoy, maybe even more, because of him not having to go in and out all the time. There's extra suits in the cargo hold, all pressurised and oxyginated. One of them is bound to be your size. Do you know how to set up a buoy?"

    "Uh...minigun.  Sir, I'm a little small to handle one of those."  He laughs in zero G your gonna have a flying midget hitting the bulkhead after a 1 second burst.

"Nope, its attached to the swing arm, that will take the recoil. All you need to do is pull the trigger. Unless you prefer the technical part of the actual space walking and prepping the buoys?"

   Joseph snorts.  "Don't tempt me."  and heads down to the loading bay.

Zipping through the black at top speed Spartan kept watching the dots, seeing the green prevail more and more.
He figured it was time to let his passenger know what was going on, so he flicked the comm to just Joseph.
"Mac, we did it my friend. Congratulations from the admiral. Now, there is one thing we need to discuss. Or rather, you need to decide. Scarecrow will not be returning to Hermes just yet. I can drop you off if you want, or you can stay for the ride. I must however inform you that my next actions are neither condoned, nor legal. It is your call."

   "We'll pretend we didn't have this conversation so I can be appropriately surprised.  Just don't get me sent to the delta colonies."

"No promises there."

Gordan looked up at Spartan, a bit shocked.
"We are going back to Everest? Don't you want me anymore? Please don't give me back to Dell."
Thomas shook his head.
"Don't worry buddy. I told you, you are safe with me. You are my kid now, and my navigator. I would never want to lose a good navigator. But yes, we are going to Everest. We are just going there to do some trading, and as a matter of fact I am going to need your help doing so. Just remember, if we meet anyone you know, act like you don't know them. You are now Gordan Spartan, navigator, not Gordan the streetrat. You are a man of importance, and a citizen."
Seeing the kid had difficulty understanding Thomas sat back in his chair, lighting a sigaret. "We are going to visit Dell. But I want you not to be scared. We are going to offer him some business. I want to buy your friends from him. Far as  I can tell Dell lives for money, and he will not hesitate to sell them if the price is right. As soon as the actual deal is done, he will be reported to proper authorities for slave trading. Rodney here is currently writing a program to allow my eye to stream what it sees live."
"Your eye? It can film?"
"Not this one. This is a real eye. No, this one," Spartan lifted his eyepatch a moment, showing Gordan the bionic eye. The little boy veered back in shock, before coming back for a closer look. "It has several functions, but it needed one more. So thats what Rodney is now doing."
"Was doing," the data-wizard stated, "Its done."
"Good. We will stream the encounter with Dell directly to the fleet. Beth can store it for later use as evidence. I plan on having that guy sent to prison properly. He deserves to feel what he did to others. We will reach Everest in little over an hour. So all of you take some rest."

After a long day brooding on his plans Spartan wakes up refreshed and with purpose. He sends a message to admiral Hack before getting some breakfast.

Admiral, could you update me on the intelligence we have at the moment concerning this Lady V. also, if its no trouble, what the next action will be for me and the Scarecrow. Thanx. S

  The COM  came  back. it is clear the text was edited  from a report.

  Lady V.... Lady Victoria... one of the  3 main Leasers of the   Earth/Human sympathizers who work with  Empire  forces.

  Opt to  kill the  'big three' failed  as two were slain, But LAdy V escaped.

  Now, seems  more focused on the  destruction and Hinderence of the Delta  Fleet.

  whereabouts are unknown at this  time, but sources have put her in the Beta Triangle, with agents on all three stations, as  well as   Triad planets.

  Ladies of Virtue  have been tagged as sympathizers to LAdy V and her' new' organization. Further actions against her organization have  been set forth, but must not slow the Delta Fleet's  progress.

 It is  quite possible, the Empire is  using her  to slow, or even stop the Delta Fleet advance. This  will not happen.

 Note: Oil Lords have a Ship sailing under ESN Colors....developments forthcoming....

Spartan quickly replies:
'have possible plan to infiltrate her organisation. Would require 10.000 Credits and some capable muscle. Request meeting to explain further. Would also require either death or defection of Kray Shadow and 'betrayel' of delta fleet by scarecrow and crew.'

  the COM comes  Back.

  "..seems  my night is ruined anyway...meet me  on the Hanger  dec....we'll talk about it....though?  Shadow is off the board...."

'on my way. S.'

Spartan to hangar deck

  On the top of the Hermes, The Scarecrow  was being loaded  with some items ,  A Hermes MArine  handed Spartan a Packet, and saluted.

  Thomas  entered his craft, complete with ESN transponder . His crew, Including his newly found  young Navigator. Once Buttoned up, She  rose  off the VIP lock and  shot off  towards   the Fuji-Everest Corridor...in minutes    it was a tiny light in the  night, like so many others....

Since  we will no longer have this ship as a focus point... I am converting this  thread to the Ironwood, so she  can have her own thread. for actions/interactions on board....

   As Sarah sat  looking over  reports and  Such... the COM  Call came through  from The Admiral. Not surprisingly , The Admiral  made the COM call himself.

 Commander  McKeon... I should like for you and  your first officer  to   land on the ebach... and take part in the treaty signing.. . you may bring SEC if you wish?..but not  more then 4..there is  already a transport Shuttle laod  of  MArines  down there.. and the Hermes Recon Teams  will be busy down there as well.

Sarah looked up from her report at the command screen and accepted the call. "Hello Admiral," She greets Admiral Hack, she listens to the orders nodding in acknowledgement.  "Understood sir,  already done." She says.

Once the com connection is cut she begins preparations for an away team. 4 troopers,  including SSG Morin, LC Harrington,  and herself.  She alerts PO Volkov to prepare the shuttle for another operation. For herself and her XO the uniform will be dress with light armor vest under the tunic,  for the name's she decides to let SSG Morin make a decision.

-Player Reentry-

Sarah stood aboard the bridge looking over the should of LT Termaine, watching as he shifted Tactical Systems around working with LT Greene in the Engine Bay.  LT Greene was coordinating repair work on her end, while Scotty shifting resources to maintain maximum possible combat readiness. They could take systems offline which would speed repair efforts however in the hostile region of operations it made better sense to be prepared. The other advantage was it gave the crew an opportunity to practice for cases where they may not have cover and support from the fleet. Both fighters had reloaded and were currently running a close in defensive patrol pattern for the moment. Sooner rather than later Sarah knew she needed to get the two out of their cockpits. It wasn't good form to unnecessarily leave pilots in the cockpit for prolonged periods as it risked fatigue in the case of another skirmish or battle.  She watched as LT Volkov and her gunners provided cover to a small team of engineers working on an external array that had been damaged in the mission. Nodding to herself she drifted around the room observing her people work. Some Captains took a more hands off approach letting their XO's do the observations, not wanting to stress the crew while the knowledge their captain looked over their shoulders. Sarah however thought the opposite, by walking about it let her directly interact with her people and build a more positive and professional relationship.

Satisfied that the work was coming along quickly and smoothly Sarah looked at LC McKeon, "I'll be in my office if you need me. Mr. Exec you have the bridge." She says formally handing off control to her second in command and leaving the bridge to begin working the after action reports, and casualty reports. Knowing her XO she wouldn't be surprised if his damage reports and supply reports weren't submitted to her before she'd finished her performance and casualty reports. The man was efficient, and as perfect an executive officer as a commander could ask for. Sitting at her desk she pulls up her terminal and sets out working. Thanking all that was good that as far as casualties were concerned there wouldn't be any letters home this time.

The paperwork flowed smoothly and she watched the repair work take place as little red dots on her ship status window blinked from red to amber and then to green indicating the system had been repaired. One or two systems stayed amber, but she didn't pry knowing her staff would updater her on the status of those systems. In all likelihood they were just short on the necessary parts to do a complete repair or couldn't do a full calibration on the system in the hostile environment. The medical bay reports coming in were promising, the team that she'd brought on were working well together, and SSG Morin's marines were being useful assisting in any area they could. She made a note to release them for a ground op the next opportunity she got, a kind of reward for in a good effort doing the non-specialty related tasks. A reward that really only the Marines she suspected truly enjoyed. It was kind of a "good job, go get into a fight somewhere kind of deal."

Seeing the external repair team had returned and the shuttle was back Sarah sent a comm to PO Volkov, and SSG Morin to prepare to return to the beach. In addition to the standard shuttle crew she detailed only two marines to escort her. Stepping over to her closet, a luxury on such as small warship, she removed a lightweight vacuum sealed skin suit, that was similar to a pilot's but a little lighter and a little less impact, and puncture resistant along with a duty uniform, cut in the same manner and fashion as a ships Captain's uniform but with padding sewn into the tunic and other areas. This uniform was a little more stiff than standard materials but provided minimal protection against knives, projectiles, and pulse. It wouldn't stop a round but it would reduce the damage from it. A helmet and gloves could be worn to seal the skin suit though these she would leave aboard the shuttle. Minimal protection for flying in an active warzone, but it was better than nothing and as the saying went better safe than sorry.

Heading down to the hanger bay with her side arm strapped prominently on her hip and knife on the other she tucks her gloves into her belt, and boards the shuttle leaving her captain's beret on her head. It was a bit of an odd touch that alpha fleet had added to their uniform standards. Different job branches wore different color berets instead of the standard headwear while in uniform, with the Captains beret being white in color. In a way wearing on the beach was equal parts bold and a statement as to her trust that the area was secure.

Once the shuttle had boarded and the hatches were secure PO1 Volkov sent a request to land on the beach through the Hermes to allow the beach team to designate a landing location and to alert anyone necessary that she would be arriving.

---Beach/Beta Quad-->

    The COM light  coms on in Sarah's Quarters. Admiral Sevente . His  thin Mustache  well cared  for. He seems to be in the midst of a meal, with a tall glass of  wine.

  ahhhh..Commander. We have  watched the  great Adventures of the Delta Fleet... I have seen the Ironwood has been trading, how then say...punches as well.

 He  drinks  deeply from  his wine glass. he swirls it  as he looks in to the glass, then, only his eyes look up,..The Admiral  has said, they are going to come here, before visiting the Gamma  Quad..... this is..most upsetting? Does he not think we are capable of protecting   the Alpha Quad?

  There is another Long  sip,..The  Admiral also seems to  want to keep The Ironwood, and her crew with the Delta flee, for an ...unspecified...time.... how do you feel about this?

--Matterhorn-->

Sarah sat in her command chair, a determined glint in her eye. ENS Lafollet lock in final course for Fuji Station. ENS Montoya open a channel to Fuji station control.

Murmers of 'already done' echoed around the bridge. Once the channel to Fuji blinked green one her display she addressed the station, ESN Ironwood Captain McKeon requesting berth at Fuji station on order to Delta Fleet." she waits for approval giving the appropriate scripted responses and once approved gives the command to bring the Ironwood into the station.

 ..FUJI SEC Central..please dock at  Orbiting Dock #5... Glad to see you Back Ironwood.

Glad to be back Fuji control, we will be rejoining the delta Fleet. Please adjust our priorities for services accordingly to meet the fleet timeline. shifting focus Comms get me a channel to Hermes flight control. Inform them we will be joining the fleet and if we should expect to receive the new fighter platform." Reaching for her comm she calls to her shuttle pilot, Anya prepare the shuttle we will be joining the beach party. We will take anyone wanting to join the celebration others can take taxis to wherever the wish.

  ..Cast off  for the Fleet  is  2000 hours  tomorrow  with recall at 1800 hours..  CAptain O'Reilly  is on Board the Hemres  , if you want to swap  out  fighter  craft.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:35, Mon 29 Apr 2019.

"Understood Fuji control" Sarah rose from her chair, "Mr. Harrington you have the watch."she said heading for her door, she was going to have ENS Volkov drop her at the Hermes so she could speak with Captain O'Reilly. While any of the other crew who wished could spend time on the beach for the remainder of the party.

---Hanger Deck-->

Aboard the Ironwood the crew rotated shifts through the night. LC Harrington had established a rotation for the different sections and had pulled strings with Fuji control and had managed to get a compliment of various workers to assist in the rapid change out that was happening. Granted none of these temp workers were truly trusted and labored under the watchful eyes of section chiefs and crew members. Things were moving fast, fresh supplies were being brought aboard the old fighters had quickly been stripped of Ironwood equipment painted gray and picked up making space for the Mantis which would be delivered the next day. Currently a crew was repainting the deck of the hanger to denote key tie down points and relabel for the mantis.  In the engine room LT Greene was running a series of diagnostics with the Fuji tech team that had overhauled the engines last making a series adjustments to boost baselines and re-calibrate the system.

Around 2PM both Ben and Allison returned to the Ironwood after test flying the Mantis craft. The ship was all a bustle in the hanger as parts and pieces were stored away, the new third flight crew was getting set up and starting to paint the third mantis with the general colors of the Ironwood and alpha fleet. Nose art would come with the pilot. Ben approached Anya,  "Hey Volkov, why do we have a third we only have two fighter pilots?"

Anya glanced over her shoulder as she rushed around giving directions. "Aye well if you'd check your messages then you'd've seen with the smaller airframe we can fit a third giving us a right proper flight." Ben frowned as he headed over to his new mantis to check out the art being applied, and pulled out his comm unit starting to scroll through the messages on it.

Sarah returned to the Ironwood immediately retiring to her quarters to shower and change. She chooses one of her more spartan uniform tunics that have been tailored to fit well, she doesn't bother with any other insignia other than her rank and the ESN/Alpha fleet markers. In all she strikes an imposing figure. Choosing the white beret that Alpha fleet favors for Ship Captains she comms PO Volkov checking on the shuttle.

Arriving at the hanger bay she inspects the organized chaos. The new fighters are getting painted with nose art, minus of course the unassigned fighter. Near the shuttle LT's Mayhew and Alwuad wait patiently both in standard ESN uniforms. Boarding the shuttle they depart for the Hermes to shop for their new pilot.

--Hanger Bay-->

The Ironwood shuttle entered its hanger bay a few short moments before cast off. Sarah stepped smartly onto the Deck to the call of 'Captain on Deck'. She waved a crisp salute at the deck and then nodded to LT Mayhew. "See that our two newest crew members get established in their quarters. ENS Le-ji given our small crew while you serve aboard the Ironwood I will ensure you get flight time, training time, and a chance to compete for a place in the flight. However, when not acting in that capacity you're duties will be to function as our hanger deck chief. We do not have the space for a shed or a specific office, how you organize yourself will be up to you." Turning on her other newest fresh face and addressing both, "I expect both of you to work with and learn from both LT Mayhew and Alwuad, and I know they will mentor you well. Following cast off officers will meet at my mess for a small meal. There will be a larger gathering for all crew on the rec deck starting at the same time. Carry on."

Ben smiled, "welcome aboard, I'll take you to your quarters and give you the grand tour. He says to Longwei. "LT Alwuad will do the same for you. He adds for Le-Ji.

All over the Ironwood came the final bangs and thumps as the heavy cables were separated and the lines were reeled into the ship.

Sarah made her way to the bridge stepping in front of her command chair. "Status report" She called out and around the bridge the different sections began rattling off information in order as numbers and info scrolled on her screen. Once the reports finished she called out, "Nav plot us a course on the fleet vector." She checks her comms screen that filters ship traffic within the fleet and calls out a string of numbers and letters indicating a travel position in the formation and watched as a path appeared on her screen as the information was input. "Mr. Klattenhoff take us out." She called and the powerful engine came up from their almost non-existent background hum to a low rumble as power was fed to them.

  for the Ironwood, an 'all ships' message scrolled  across the CAptain's  screen.

  ".. Follow  current   course.. changes will follow  Board meeting.."

   Blips on the  screens  show destroyers and other  corvettes  and sloops  expanding  around the Massive  cluster that was  The Delta  Fleet. even as  support ships   drew into the middle with the Cap Ships   forming up..Delta  1  in the  Front.. Delta  2 to the starboard ,Delta  3  to the Port and Delta 4 four  as Rear guard,  The  ships  forming a Bubble around the support ships, even  as the picket  ships formed a bubble  around the Fleet

The Ironwood drifted a little back towards the rearguard with her powerful engines she could easily respond to any of the forward positions rapidly or jump up to the main body if necessary to act as a quick response force.

Once in position she begins cycling her bridge staff through dinner of the fresh fish she'd ordered as troops and sailors on the rec deck have their own surf and turf dinner.

Aboard the Ironwood things were progressing in a similar yet unique vein. On the hanger deck the pilots assisted their flight crews in adding nose art to their fighters. The two new recruits were running laps back and forth across the bay in their full pilots kit with emergency gear. Every time either Benjamin, or Allison turned around they dove for cover. Both were starting to look pretty smoked, but the abuse continued for about another hour as the last of the painting was completed.

Across the ship various different workouts and emergency tasks were being drilled as well, putting new cremates through trails and training them on emergency procedures.

Aboard the Ironwood, Sarah, sat in the Command chair. The ship held its position in formation while the bridge crew drilled emergency procedures. At the tactical station Scott Termaine sweated under the complicated scenario. He sent a series targeting commands to the different gun crews based on the current evasion pattern from his own chair LC Harrington barked commands as he guided the ship through its drill.

Sarah made a few notes on the station then triggered the enemy response. Suddenly several stations flashed red with large Xs indicating the operator had been knocked out. On other screens systems flashed red indicating damage as several enemies blinked out of existence on the boards.


After the exercise concluded Sarah compiled her notes. During the rest of the trip she'd give her assessments to each section chief who'd pass the information along to their teams. Excellent work Mr. Harrington. she says to her XO as the stations reset and revert to their correct real time data as simulation ended. Mr. Harrington, my office please. Mr. Termaine you have the con. She rose smoothly and headed to her war room. Followed by LC Harrington.

The exercise reviews had gone well and had been completed, and the Ironwood had settled in to its quiet hum of activity as the various section chiefs completed the various and never ending  list of tasks, checks, assessments, and measurements. Some stations were less busy with the actual flight than others. One of the guns was being calibrated, through tactical but that had little impact on the travel. Meanwhile Navigation and the Helm had their hands full maneuvering within the fleet, and maintaining position as the fleet traveled to its destination.

   COMs  Offcier turns to  Sarah,..Ma'am?.. Ensign  Law  from the  Hermes... he sends  is repects   and asks  you to come to the   Hermes, at ytour best  oppertunity...

Sarah nodded, "Thank you Sonya. Notify Ms Volkov, and inform the Hermes I will be joining them." She rose from her seat, "Mr. Harrington you have the con. Mr. Termaine, with me, and have..." she pauses for a moment then smiles. "Let Sgt Morin know 2 troopers should be sufficient I dont need my entire staff, and let's have Lt. Alwuad fly escort. I'm sure she'd love a chance to visit.she adds semi-cryptically. Before checking her uniform finding it sufficient and heading down to the hanger bay.

--Hermes Hanger Deck--->

<<<NEXT MORNING>>>

After returning to the Ironwood Sarah had brought her staff together for a quick update as to the general plans of the fleet, during the meeting she prompted LT Termaine to do most of the explaining and discussion of the current plan as she evaluated his ability to retain, and then direct information. In her mind he was well on the way to being an XO, and it'd be a shame to lose him, though a small part of her entertained the dream of being elevated to Captain of a heavier vessel, which would allow LC Harrington and LT Termaine to take over the small corvette and build their experience that way.

All the same her focus returned to the meeting as she forwarded the files for both LC Harrington and LT Termaine over to Admiral Hack for his review. In LC Harrington's file she recommended him for Captaincy of a corvette class vessel or as XO of a much large ship of the line. For LT Termaine her recommendation was as Chief Tactical Officer on a ship of the line or as an XO on a much smaller vessel such as a corvette.

The meeting ended quickly enough with everyone scattering to their respective sections, bunks, and other duties.

Waking early Sarah heads to the small workout area and takes care of her physical fitness and then off to the small shooting range on board. All about the ship hums with its standard levels of energy as the various watches change and the ship cycles into its 'daytime'

The Ironwood had maintained her position within the fleet as the exercise had started, though Sarah had kept her pilots out of the exercise. As small as a ship her corvette lacked the resources to cover if three of her four pilots went down, and truth be told a fighter screen of one was barely worth the life it risked.

The fleet shifted course taking it closer to the planet, rather unexpectedly. She'd expected the fleet to sit back and allow the exercise to pan out before continuing on. Around the bridge the quiet sounds and slightly canned smell of air permeated all indicative of nothing out of the ordinary. She said nothing allowing the Ironwood to shift and stay in its area of formation waiting for information, she refused to elevate the alert until she knew if it was just part of an effort to recover the down and injured pilots more quickly or if something had changed in the black.

In nearly no time after the shift started did Admiral Hack's message come through the SEC channels. Glancing over the bridge assessing everything she nods to herself, "LT Termaine, sound GENERAL QUARTERS.

NAV contact ENS Le-Ji and inform him that I want all our aircraft ready and to standby pilots at their aircraft."

Around the ship lights and alarms started flashing, bulkheads and doors that were nonessential to combat began closing and latching. Gunners ran for their gunnery station, pilots and marines scrambled into their gear either from sleep or whatever else they'd been engaged in. The status lights on the forward pulse cannons began cycling from amber standby to green as the prototype system came on line.

Down in Engineering LT Greene began the relatively short process of bringing the powerful engines into combat readiness.

As the Ironwood jumps to combat readiness Sarah sends a comm text over to the Hermes, "Hermes command, given our unique abilities we could flank around on a different vector for the main efforts, and hit the Vampic Squadron first slashing through them, generate confusion that the main efforts could capitalize on." She says explaining her idea over the secure channel.

   The Admirl's  Voice  came over the COMs,..Meet with the Teak, and  Oak, as  well as the EMS   Slayer... If  any Vampic  ship   try and  end  run... take them out , ...if they have lights on..but   run..take them out.. if they have lights  on ..make them power down..if they don't . destroy them...This is not a good  will mission..  they are in our  space... they have  not announced thie r coming..so  we owe them nothing...

"Understood sir, who will be commander for the pursuit squadron?" She says relaying the comm message to LC Harrington so he can prepare to begin to coordinate at a closer level.

 There is a Bit of a ChuckleCaptain Bornberry will be there   shortly.. she'll be in command..until  her squardon gets there  The Captain of the Slayer  will be in command.

"Understood sir," Sarah responds crisply signing off.

Once the connection is ended, she has the comms section establish a connection to the EMS Slayer for the ships Captain.

--From Hanger Deck-->

Following the send off Sarah had returned to the Ironwood, sending a message to LC(P) Harrington to call a general assembly of the Ironwood crew in the Hanger deck.

As she stepped down from the shuttle in her new Burian dress white's with the Captain's rank she could see the confusion and even some concern among the troops, within the ranks people started to buzz.  Rather than stick to protocol she held up a hand for silence and waited a few moments while the noise died down. "At ease people," she says calmly putting the formation in a relaxed position. Nearly 50 sets of eyes watched her closely waiting for an explanation and an announcement.

Nodding to LC Harrington who stepped forward with a small case Sarah began. "We have some business to attend to, first of all. It is my honor and privileged to present the very first Blue Max award to an Ironwood pilot. Lieutenant Promotable Benjamin Mayhew. Please step forward." LC Harrington opens the box with the award in it as Ben steps forward, if there was confusion at the change in his rank title he didn't show it beaming as he accepted the award.

"Next I would like to address my change in uniform. Bura is entering the war supplying troops, navy personnel, and building its own defense navy. I have accepted a role as Flag Officer of the Burian Navy, and as such will be transferring to the newly captured Vampic Heavy Cruiser the Cold Stone. Along with my move there are several promotions and some restructuring of the crew that will need to take place.

Lieutenant Commander Harrington, you are hereby promoted to Commander and given command of the Heavy Cruiser (NAME) and sister ship of the Cold Stone, if you accept.

Lieutenant Mayhew, you are hereby promoted to Lieutenant Commander and will be slotted as the Burian Fleet Wing Commander, if you accept.

Lieutenant Termaine, you are hereby promoted to Lieutenant Commander and given command of the ESN Ironwood."

Both Harrington and Mayhew looked suitably surprised then quickly stepped forward with proud looks on their faces as Sarah continued.

"The Ironwood will continue its mission in support of the Delta fleet as an official envoy from the Alpha Fleet. There will be additional shuffling and promotions as personnel are moved about making room for Burians and settlers to join and integrate into the fleet as well as working to bring experienced talent into key leadership roles within the Burian Navy. All transfers will be based on the persons decision to accept."

She pulls a small box out of her pocket that holds her old Commander Rank insignia pinning former LC Harrington with the new rank, and then her old LC rank goes to Termaine. Commander Harrington passes his rank down to LC Mayhew.

Once all the promotions are completed Sarah continues to address the assembly. "It has been an honor serving along side all of you. Captain Termaine, you have the con." she says offering him his first salute of Command.

Gathering Commander Harrington, and LC Mayhew she instruct both to contact QM and ensure they have dress uniforms for the formal ball to be hosted at the Burian palace.

In the background LC Termaine steps forward and dismisses the formation. Using the remaining time Sarah returns to her former quarters to pack and prepare for the ball.

With her belongings nearly packed, Sarah debates on wearing her dress uniform or one of Captain Si's dresses. There were benefits to both. One showed her in her official function representing her command and the Burian fleet. The dress accomplished that less but leaned more elegant than hard and professional. The decision was not easy, and there would be time to dress for official functions in either a dress, perhaps not an angel silk dress owned by Captain Si, but all the same the sharp polished dress uniform was more along Sarah's aesthetic, and would have the effect she wished for during the ball.

With everything packed in crates and boxes around her she sat at her desk one last time and pulled up the list of names and applications to serve with the Burian fleet and dug in again as they approached Bura.

    Sarah recieves  a COM  from  Rivets ,..  Captain  McKeon?   I  Dunno  know  if ye have  an escort to that  Ball thing?.. Iffin  ye don't , I'd   be 'appy to excport ya... if  ye have an escort.. maybe   we  could see  about teh Sailin' on Bura, then next day?

Sarah read the message, and smiled a little then picked up her com and replying. "I don't currently, and would happy to have you as my escort. Fair warning though I'm going in my Burian dress whites instead of a dress.

As to sailing that sounds like a plan to me." She turns back to the vidboard screen, the lists are slowly getting pared down with her intent to having at the very least either the key position or the deputy position filled within a week, and to have less than 5 options per position in the next few days.

  There is a Chuckle,..its  up to  yerself , Lassie. But turnin' dow one of Captain Si's   Angelsilk dresses, that ye  get to keep?... I think  i could  my a good hover Bike , fer one of them!

 ..Now?.. I have  ta  Come in with the board..so's you can  either meet me  at the  Palace parkign lot.. or Come  to the  Hermes  and   ride  down with us... It'll make a better show , coming in  one of them Fancy rides?

 ..'an  while  we're  at  the    place, we can ask around  fer a good sailin' place.

"I think it would be best coming with the Hermes board, it would show the unity and connection between the Burian fleet and the Delta fleet plus give a good show. It'll be good to hear about all the good sailing areas." She starts thinking about her arrangements. Perhaps while on Bura she could secure a living space planet side. It'd give her a chance to host the fleet much like Shadow and Hack did on Fuji, though it'd cost her a pretty penny. Though being a Captain had its pay benefits. Plus if she played her cards right she would be able to find living on a lake or beach allowing her to sail on days off and get away from the grind.

.. Right  then Lassie..  we'll see  you day after tomorrow, Unless yer  Comin' ta  Captain Maris partty for his    daughter... may be some heated things going on. but he rented  the   stadium.

"Might as well put on a good show. Plus it will give LC Termaine a chance to start moving into his new digs over here. Besides I'm fully packed at this point just waiting to arrive on Bura and get established on the Cold Stone once the renovations and repairs are complete."